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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30010377">Countergambit</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/JinxedChangeling/pseuds/JinxedChangeling'>JinxedChangeling</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Labyrinth (1986)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Fae Magic, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Language, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 21:07:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>12,789</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30010377</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/JinxedChangeling/pseuds/JinxedChangeling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Wished away by a desperate, 16-year-old Toby in the wake of a traumatic car wreck, an adult Sarah wakes up in the Underground. Determined to get home, the Champion soon finds herself locked into another game with the Goblin King. Once again, they're playing for keeps...and it's the perfect time for old friends to catch up.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jareth/Sarah Williams</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>61</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>93</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Preface</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I don't know if I need a content warning for this or not, but there's some car-accident related gore?  </p><p>On a different note, I have fudged the timeline a little bit for this. I went back and forth on it a number of times, but long story short, the story takes place in roughly present day (2015--2021 type of date range). It will become more clear why I chose to do this as the story goes on, but I will say it was mainly to accommodate a career path idea for Sarah that intrigued me. </p><p>Hope you enjoy :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span class="u"> <strong>Preface</strong> </span>
</p><p>“<em> TOBY!!! </em>” </p><p>Sarah’s scream of alarm would forever echo in Toby’s ears. It would always be followed by the squeal of rubber, the <em> lurch </em>  that had the seatbelt cutting into the space between his neck and shoulders, then the crash, clink and sickening <em> crunch </em> that rapidly succeeded it. First, his vision went white with the blaze of headlights in his eyes that made him haul on the steering wheel. Then the world became a blur of motion as the car hit a patch of black ice and spun out of his control. They careened through the slick, frictionless road, shattering the ‘CAUTION: CONSTRUCTION' sign blocking off an old, abandoned construction site before going over the side of the ditch and slamming bumper first into the abandoned, rusting metal skeleton of a building. </p><p>The teenager’s world went black for a minute and the next thing he knew he was groaning with nylon pressing against his cheek. He coughed and it hurt; he grimaced and put a hand to his side. He could still move at least but he would be sore tomorrow. Maybe more than sore. Something felt broken or bruised. He grimaced again and realized that hurt, too. He gingerly touched his face and his fingers came back bloody. He blinked sweat and blood out of his eyes. There was blood on the airbag in front of him and he grunted in pain when his fingers probed his swollen face. Shit. The airbag had cracked his cheekbone, he was sure of it. The windshield in front of him was a shattered mess and the snow had turned to freezing rain with a painfully loud rattle on the roof that echoed through the car. </p><p>A gurgling gasp to his right made him look up and his mouth dropped open in horror, his own pains instantly forgotten. Sarah, his sister--sitting only a foot or two away from him in the passenger’s seat--was gulping in air as she looked down at the spiralling, orange-mottled grey rod now sprouting from just beneath her right collarbone, the tatters of the airbag hanging limply from the dashboard. She raised a trembling left hand to touch the metal imbedded in her chest in disbelief--no, in <em> shock </em>. Both physical and figurative, no doubt.</p><p>“Sarah…” Toby whispered tremulously, reaching for the wound and then snatching his hands back, not sure whether or not to try and staunch the blood or fix this <em> somehow </em>or not to touch her at all. “Oh god...Oh God, Sarah…”</p><p>“Toby,” she managed to whisper, swallowing back pain and grimacing widely. Her face was already ashen with shock and pain, but she could hear in his voice that he was panicking and knew she had to keep her head. “Toby, stay...stay calm. I need you...to get your phone,” </p><p>Her words were measured and slow as she worked to keep her voice as steady as possible. Her green eyes were wide and she swallowed, trying to control her breathing around the rebar. </p><p>Toby scrambled to retrieve his dropped phone, rummaging through his pockets in a panic. Sarah managed to turn her head a fraction to watch him. She already felt colder than she thought she should and every tiny movement, every <em> breath </em> was agony. She couldn’t move her right arm at all, not that she was prepared to try it. It was so tempting to let the darkness around the edges of her vision claim her, but some instinctual part of her screamed what a terrible idea that was. Through the thick fog of pain she instead focused on the task at hand to try and stay conscious. </p><p>“OkayOkayOkay!” Toby gasped when he finally found it, his hands shaking wildly as he tapped and swiped away, his face illuminated by the screen. </p><p>“Dial…” Sarah started. She gasped at the pain of breathing with the iron piercing her chest--an involuntary spasm that only made the pain worse. She clenched her eyes shut and clenched her teeth, a muscle popping in her jaw. She swallowed and started again, forcing herself to breathe in as slowly and carefully as she could manage. It didn’t help much. </p><p>“9-1-1! It’s ringing! Thank god there’s reception down here! 9-1-1! Help, I need an ambulance, <em> please </em>! My-my sister and I were driving and there was this jeep in the wrong lane and we-we're in some old construction site or something, we need help!”</p><p>Sarah was starting to feel distant, as though she were drifting from her body and from the pain. That same part of her that insisted on fighting railed that she was in shock, that the smell filling her nose was blood, blood that she was losing too much of.</p><p>Sara’s brows twitched together and her nostrils flared as she sniffed. It wasn’t just the sickly sweet tang of blood that her nose was picking up. Her vision was blurring in and out of focus but through the jagged hole gaping through her side of the windshield she saw something dark wafting up from the crumpled front bumper. </p><p>“Toby…” she croaked. She managed to fumble with her left hand to grab his arm, getting his attention on the smoke in front of them. </p><p>“No, no there was this jeep and-and then we hit black ice and went off the road. We’re at the--SHIT!” The teenager broke off his ramble with a yell of panic, “OhshitOhShit! There’s--the engine! It’s--there’s smoke and I can smell gas or something! God, we gotta get out of here!” </p><p>The driver’s side door swung wildly as Toby kicked it open, leapt out and then practically vaulted over the trunk to get to Sarah’s side of the car as fast as he could. He yanked the passenger door almost off its hinges to get it open. </p><p>“I’m sorry!” He gasped as he unbuckled her seatbelt. She wished she’d been able to absolve him of the inevitable before he had to lift her out of the vehicle. </p><p>Sarah <em> screamed </em>. She couldn’t help it. The agony of the movement made her black out and the next thing she knew they were both in the slushy mud with frigidly cold rain pelting down on them, drenching them and making the slushing snow beneath them feel that bit more uncomfortable as the cold seeped into their bones. In her peripheral she saw the flames around the car's remains but couldn't move her head enough to get a better look. Toby was holding Sarah up, shivering madly and trying to shield her as best he could while yelling into his phone. </p><p>“Please, PLEASE hurry! Just get here, PLEASE! We’re down in some old construction site or something off of--hello?” he stopped short when the sound on the end of the line suddenly dropped. Toby moved the phone down from his ear and his stomach dropped when he saw that the screen had gone black. His phone was dead. He stared at it for a moment, his breath coming in faster heaves before he threw it with his free hand with all his might.</p><p>. “<em> HELP </em> !” he hollered into the night, his voice cracking into a screech of sheer desperation that echoed through the abandoned construction site “ <em> HHHEEELLLPPP </em> ! <em> PLEASE </em> ! <em> SOMEBODY </em>! WE’RE DOWN HERE!!”</p><p>“Toby…”Sarah murmured. She was so cold. Everything was so heavy...She had to focus. She had to...to...she had to hold on. Yes, yes that was it. She had to hold on, she had to help her little brother. She had to get them out of here. She had to get home, she had to get back. It was so cold-- Why was it so cold?</p><p>“It’s gonna be okay,” Toby told her, trying to be reassuring even as his own voice trembled with tears of frustration and desperation, “They should have been able to get the GPS on the phone, right? Sarah? Sarah, stay with me, <em> please </em>!” </p><p>She tried, she was really trying. It was so <em> hard. </em> All she wanted to do was drift off...Everything felt so incredibly <em> heavy </em>. Processing the world around her felt like trying to walk through quicksand--heavy, difficult and a losing battle. Dimly in the back of her mind she made a note to remember that...it might make for a good line. She should write it down for a descriptor or something in her next edition. Why her mind took her there was anyone’s guess when she had much more pressing matters to deal with. </p><p>Sarah had to get back to the Resort. She <em> had </em> to get back. It was only supposed to have been a quick drive back into town to run a couple errands for their dad and a chance to talk with Toby. She was only supposed to be gone an hour or two…</p><p>Something Toby was saying managed to filter down to her and Sarah struggled to focus again. </p><p>“It’s like one of those stories...or one of your nerd-games where things are looking--looking hopeless and something...” he gulped out before wiping at the blood trickling down from his nose with his soaking wet sleeve, ignoring or not feeling the stab of pain it probably caused to rub against the swollen skin of his cheek. His short, brown-blonde hair was clinging to his scalp and he shivered with the damp cold. Sarah managed to twitch her lips into something like a smile, hoping he could still read the fondness in the weak expression around a wince. Each breath brought a fresh spike of pain; she instinctively tried to keep them shallow, her body tensing where it could and struggling to adapt to something it was not meant to adapt to. Toby was still talking to her, trying to keep her awake, comfort her, keep himself calm? Something like that--all of that?...she’d lost track of his words until one managed to yank her fading consciousness back to the present.</p><p>“...about the goblins? Dad said it was probably yours. Read it at the last stupid conference thing…”</p><p>Goblins? What about Goblins? She’d never told him that story. Not using that word, at least, and certainly not using their real names. Not his name, not theirs, not her's and not her brother's. No, she had been very careful to choose her words in the last fifteen years...what was Toby talking about…? She needed to focus, to hear what he was saying but it was getting so difficult...</p><p>“...I wish…” the teenaged boy sobbed, his tears mingling with the rain running down his face. He heaved in a gulp of air and swiped the dripping wet sleeve of his free arm across his face again. He leaned over and pressed his forehead to his sister’s as he cradled her shoulders with his other arm, carefully avoiding the broken piece of rebar embedded just below her right collarbone. Her green eyes were clouded and rolling back into her head as she started losing her battle and drift in and out of consciousness, but was able to claw her way back and look at him when she heard <em>that </em>phrase from his mouth. </p><p>“T--” she started, her breath a shuddering rattle as she tried to lift a hand to warn him. Toby heaved another sob and reflexively tightened his grip on her shoulders, holding her closer in desperation. Her vision blurred out of focus despite her efforts. </p><p>“...I wish the Goblins <em>would</em> take you away... Right now...” Toby moaned, his voice cracking high and reedy through his tears and distress. </p><p>A deafening crack of thunder made the teenager jump. He’d thought it was too cold for a thunderstorm, even if the snow had turned into the god-awful freezing rain tormenting them. There was a flash white that he thought was lightning and in the next second he was kneeling in the mud several yards from where he had been. The sudden change in position and lack of a body in arms threw off his balance and Toby fell forward slightly with a grunt of surprise, catching himself on his hands and splattering water and muck. </p><p>In his place there was a figure cradling his sister’s broken form, a long back cape shielding her from the rain and a mop of blonde hair bent over her. The man looked Sarah over and grasped the rebar piercing her chest in a gloved hand. He winced and there was an audible sizzle where his hand touched the rusted iron. Toby flinched in sympathy then started forward  when he saw the man pull the rod from his sister’s chest and a gargling, shrieking gasp of pain erupted from Sarah's lips.  </p><p> In the next flash of lightning both vanished. Toby whipped his head around and sat up on his knees. His sister was gone. She was nowhere to be seen; his arms were empty, but her blood still stained his shirt. </p><p>“Sarah?” He gasped, slumping forward onto his hands and knees again. He floundered in the slush as he whipped this way and that in search of her, the dragging sleeves of his drenched sweater slapping this way and that, his movements sending sprays of heavy, half-melted snow in all directions. He had moved. He was a good ten yards from the spot he’d been seconds ago, a dozen yards from the now-burning car. How had he moved this far from where he’d been holding Sarah seconds ago? </p><p>“<em> Sarah! </em>” </p><p>A glint caught his attention and he scrambled over to the piece of iron rebar on the ground. He snatched it up with his hand and stared at it. It was a good 12 inches long and six of those inches were coated in his sister’s blood. The other six, however, were hot to the touch, still smoking and smelled of burned flesh. </p><p>“<em> SARAH!” </em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Underground Triage</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sarah is brought to the Underground in rough shape.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>And here's an update! Thank you so much to everyone for your reviews! I love hearing your thoughts, reactions, opinions, etc!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h2>
  <span>Chapter 2</span>
</h2><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sarah drifted in and out of consciousness. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She heard Toby’s wish as though it were echoing down to her through a well. She had tried to stop him, to warn him, but her voice failed her as the darkness around the edges of her vision overtook her. She was so cold. It wasn’t just the frigid, winter rain soaking her through. After the agony of being moved from the car overwhelmed her she’d clawed her way back by sheer force of will, but now everything felt removed. Distant. It meant the pain was pushed back, but everything else felt like trying to walk through a pit molasses...or perhaps quicksand. That might be a better metaphor.  Had she already thought of something like that? Her mind was tumbling around in circles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something changed beneath her and she was surrounded by the faint scent of leather and a vaguely familiar musk. The arm cradling her was thicker, stronger and warmer than her teenaged brother’s soaked jacket. The fabric beneath her cheek was dryer and a different texture. When her vision swam briefly into focus her gaze locked onto familiar, mismatched eyes. Sarah tried to say something but couldn’t form words as the black-gloved fingers brushed tenderly along her cheek. Those same gloved fingers grazed down to inspect the wound below her collarbone, gently probing around it before his face set in a grim line. She heard the hiss and saw the smoke rise from his hand then felt him tense as he took the rebar securely in one hand and yanked. Sheer agony erupted from her chest as the metal was pulled from her flesh. She didn’t have enough left in her to do more than make a strangled, gurgling sound before everything went black.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The next time she drifted back was to see his face looming over her again, his expression difficult for her to read as he set her down carefully, shifting his grip as he went to cushion her head with his hand and touching it down to the soft surface last. Everything around him was blurry, his eyes the only thing in focus. Pain throbbed through her body, overwhelming and difficult to pinpoint. She didn’t know </span>
  <em>
    <span>what</span>
  </em>
  <span> hurt as he moved her: </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything</span>
  </em>
  <span> hurt. How had that happened again? She felt dizzy. What had happened, again? Everything was heavy, but her head was light. Too light. Why was </span>
  <em>
    <span>he </span>
  </em>
  <span>here? She dimly heard herself whimper and felt her face scrunch up with pain. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shhhhhhh,” Jareth shushed her gently, ghosting his knuckles down the side of her face again in that fond, soothing gesture. The last thing she registered before sinking back into the darkness was a warm, gentle hand smoothing over her hair...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She bobbed in and out, snatching glimpses of the world around her. Plain, unadorned walls and full, practical shelves surrounded her. There was a beam of light, perhaps from a window. The surface beneath her was firmly comfortable; a mattress of some kind with light sheets. At some point she registered that her coat was gone and the chill of the air was blowing over bare skin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She heard what sounded like Hoggle and Jareth talking but couldn’t make out what they said. A female voice wafted through later, though Sarah still couldn’t quite make out the words. There was movement, she was being moved, a strong arm behind her shoulders was lifting her up, then something was pulling one arm--th bad arm--tightly to her body. She half-sobbed at the movement this required but didn’t struggle. There was bustling around her, sounds that she felt she should know and others she didn’t recognise. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gentle hands peeled what felt like gauze back from her chest and smeared  something viscous and warm with an earthy aroma in its place. Her own rasping grunt of discomfort met her ears and Sarah tried to open her eyes. She managed it, barely, and saw someone sitting over her, a lithe form that flowed in graceful lines and curves, flecks of gold glittering over forest green and teal blue skin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Behind this...woman? Being? Creature? A familiar, if unfocused silhouette stood with his billowing sleeves crossed tightly over his chest, the mane of feathery blonde hair catching the light enough to obscure his face from her distorting sight. Sarah felt her eyelids flutter and droop and struggled to keep them open. Where was she? What had happened? She had to know, she had to find out. She was still so cold, but the cold felt...different, somehow. Instead of numbing ice burrowing into her very core this was a contrarian feeling; shivers wracked through her body even while her skin was warm. She could feel the layer of sweat that gripped her hair to her face uncomfortably. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I...I need to...back…” she rasped incoherently, her tongue thick and clumsy and fumbling over the words. The green form retreated like mist, replaced with the white sleeves and a curiously bandaged, ungloved, long-fingered hand. Sarah blinked up at the mis-matched eyes, trying desperately to pull herself together and out of this bog her mind felt trapped in. What was that sound? Was that pitiful, clattering hiss her? She had to make him understand somehow, that she was needed. She was needed elsewhere. Needed so badly to get home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need to...g-get...not sup...supposed to…not gone long...” the words petered out again, bowing to another teeth-rattling shiver. She strained her head back against the pillow it laid on, her face pulling with discomfort and frustration. The echo of water dripping into a basin sounded next to her ear. She swallowed again around a dry throat when the damp cloth smoothed across her forehead and then down her cheeks. The water stung for some reason, but it also soothed just enough. Sarah’s eyes started to wilt again, she was so tired, so very, very tired. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But she wasn’t done. She couldn’t be done, she couldn’t. She had to get home. She had to get back to--</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sarah gasped as a lance of pain shot through the right half of her torso, exploding from her chest down to her core and through her shoulder down to her fingertips. She heard the hubbub her movement and cry caused as though it were far away, heard Hoggle say something in fear and alarm and the female voice was back with a no-nonsense tone. Dear God, what had she </span>
  <em>
    <span>done</span>
  </em>
  <span>? All she’d tried to do was </span>
  <em>
    <span>sit up</span>
  </em>
  <span>. She hovered on the edge of oblivion, the voices near her losing their words as Sarah clutched at consciousness for all she was worth. The arms and gentle hands had returned to ease her back down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She felt someone lifting her head and a cup put to her lips. A thick liquid was tipped back into her mouth and oozed down her throat, filling her mouth with an acrid, foul taste. She swallowed instinctively, too muddled to question it or fight, though she did gag a bit around the last gulp or so and spluttered some of it back up messily. She wanted to get up, she had to at least tell whoever it was to contact her family...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need to...my…” she started, trying and failing to grasp at something with her good hand as it was captured in a calming hold by a grip that was pleasantly cool and oddly sleek, a different feel to the arms that had moved her and the hands that had tried to comfort her so far. The green face shimmered in front of her and she clutched at the hand holding hers, straining on the arm as she tried to use it to pull herself up in spite of the pain. The familiar feel of leather caught the back of her head as it started to sway to one side. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My...family...n-need to…get back to...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She never managed to finish the sentence. She was never sure if she managed to whisper the word, the name, the thought that filled her mind or not, for as her head was let back down onto a soft pillow there was the touch of fingers on her forehead and warm, comforting darkness enveloped her once more. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jareth the Goblin King straightened from where he had been bent over Sarah, pulling back his hand from her temples after casting the sleeping charm before the woman did herself more damage. Why did she have to be so </span>
  <em>
    <span>stubborn?</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The Labyrinth’s champion was laid out on a cot by a window in the small room sectioned off from the Royal Infirmary, propped up with a wedge beneath several thick pillows. Her ruined shirt and coat were long gone, her chest and right shoulder swathed with fresh bandages. Her right arm was secured tightly to her body with a sling, the hand limp against the opposite, relatively uninjured shoulder. Her bare left arm was draped over the blanket laid across her up to her waist. A faint aroma of the poultice that had been freshly applied to the wound still hung in the air. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Goblin King’s gaze flicked over to his Royal Healer, Yvaine. The Sprite was regarding her patient as well as she set the goblet in her hands down on the bedside table and conjuring a rag to mop up the spilled concoction from Sarah's mouth and chest. She couldn't really blame her patient. The brew was absolutely vile, she well knew, but it was her most effective potion for injury-induced fevers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well?” Jareth asked, his voice tightly clipped. He could hear Hogwash gulp from the corner as the dwarf tried to creep over to Sarah’s bedside without his King noticing. Jareth paid him no heed as he stared demandingly at the Sprite. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Sprite, in turn, passed her fluorescent palm over Sarah’s prone form. A flickering blue fog settled over the woman’s prone form like a blanket and then dissipated . Jareth watched silently as the tension and distress faded from Sarah’s face and her pinched features relaxed into a peaceful calm. Her breathing evened out and the violent shivers eased as the healer enhanced the hastily cast sleeping charm Jareth had placed on her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Sprite drifted back from her patient and turned her attention to her king. She frowned and took his hastily bandaged palm in both hands with a critical eye, undoing the binding deftly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She is stable. Iron-wrought injuries are...complicated at best. The healing will be slow, but I cannot tell you </span>
  <em>
    <span>how </span>
  </em>
  <span>slow. The broken ribs will mend. Perhaps faster than she would expect above, but slower than I would normally do. I must say, Your Majesty is skilled. You managed much of the internal bleeding on your own.” she remarked as she made a sprinkling motion with her fingertips over the burn across Jareth’s palm. The Goblin King arched an eyebrow as glowing green flakes began to flit down the space between her hand and his. They settled over the blistered skin and then spread over the entirety of the wound like a liquid into a glass. When whatever it was absorbed into his skin the burn--the iron wrought burn--paled by several shades from an angry red to a softened pink. Within seconds the nimble green hands had re-wrapped his hand expertly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My skill does not match yours in these matters, clearly,” He commended her quietly as he flexed his hand. It was no empty praise; he had always been impressed with the Lady of the Lake’s skill. Yvaine preened and winked at the compliment, smiling impishly at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I would be out of a job if it did,” she said with a satisfied shrug. Jareth’s eyes shot back to Sarah.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> “Her injury had clearly been infected already.” Jareth remarked with a deepening frown. The deterioration she’d suffered in the brief interlude that his conversation with The Boy took concerned him. By the time he’d returned to the infirmary the fever had clearly started. His voice hardened again as he addressed the healer, “She will live?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I believe so. Botanicals aren’t as impeded by iron as other magics. The poultice will need to be changed regularly and a fresh batch made.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jareth turned sharply to the dwarf. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hogspittle, you heard her. To your post. Fetch the ingredients. Take them to the Healer’s husband to brew.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ye-yes, yer majesty,” his Gardener stammered as he bowed low, his eyes flicking back and forth anxiously between Jareth and the sleeper. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well?” Jareth snapped impatiently when Hoggle hesitated. The dwarf scurried away, casting worried glances back over his shoulder at Sarah  as he went. Yvaine drifted from Sarah’s side to float around Jareth’s shoulder, watching him with those large, wise, and now expectant eyes, waiting for the command she clearly expected. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Make sure Hogwash doesn’t muck it up,” he grumbled. The Sprite inclined her head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Very well, My Lord.” she said. She paused at the door and made a waving motion with her arm. A number of the twinkling lights that surrounded her clustered together and then scattered into the room, her own personal alert system to monitor her patient remotely. Jareth, they both knew, could dismiss him if he wished and recall them if he so chose. The Sprite gave him another bow of respect before vanishing in a twirl of blue and green, leaving him alone with Sarah. </span>
</p><p>
  <span> The Goblin King rolled up his sleeves as he approached the cot again and sat down on the simple chair placed next to it, reaching for the cloth and basin of water. As he wrung out the square of fabric he tilted his head to the side, studying the still face and the changes that the years had wrought on it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He passed the damp cloth over her sweat-soaked skin, brushing it gently down the side of her neck and over left clavicle before making another gentle pass over her face. She was still beautiful. Even more so now that her youthful glow had bloomed into stunning adulthood. The charming layer of baby fat had smoothed into elegant, chiseled features and a maturity that became her very well in his opinion. He had watched her from his crystals for years and knew that those closed eyes were just as green and piercing as ever, too. Jareth’s brows creased as he examined the scratches that were still scattered across her forehead, cheeks and neck, marks of the broken glass that had sliced through her flesh when the metal rod shattered the car’s windshield. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He passed his fingers lightly over the marks, glittering trails following his fingertips and settling over the cuts. He watched as the small wounds closed up before his eyes and grimaced at the slight twinge that the magic sent through his hand. He shook it out, but thanks to Yvaine’s efforts, the effect was no more than a twitch that faded quickly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Absently Jareth pulled the blanket up to Sarah’s chest and then paused before brushing an errant strand of long, dark hair from her face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There wasn’t much to be done about the injury to her chest and shoulder. Iron tended to do that to magic. It was the same effect that had burned Jareth’s hand on contact, even through his glove. It was part of the reason his kind had retreated from the Above once humans started to pull it from the bowls of the earth and use it in everything. It had also been the reason he had been forced to remove the rebar if he intended to bring Sarah to the Underground. Yvaine was unique amongst the Fey for her tolerance for it, perhaps because she had been one of the last to leave the Above and been intrigued with the humans’ methods of smithing. She had even been known to experiment with enchantments on human weapons from time to time. Thankfully between his chief healer and himself they had managed to stem the internal bleeding and stabilize her, but that was the extent that their magic was able to do with an iron-wrought injury. Her body would have to do the rest the hard way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a flick of his fingers the Goblin King summoned a crystal sphere into his good hand. He watched the scene it showed him play out with sharp attention. After a minute or two a wry smile played across his face and he looked back down to Sarah. A glimmer of triumph briefly overshadowed his concern.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rest well, Precious,” he bid her as he re-adjusted the blanket over her with one hand while  his fingers closed around the sphere with satisfaction with the other. “We’ll have all the time in the world to catch up.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>But wait! You might ask, what happened to Toby? What will Sarah say when she's lucid? Well, you'll have to wait and see ;)</p><p>Drop me a review and let me know what you think :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Challenging the Goblin King</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Toby is set a challenge and Sarah awakes.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><em> “SARAAAHHHH!” </em>Toby howled, his heaving breaths verging on hyperventilation while he staggered and slid in the slick, slushy mud, screaming his sister’s name into the echoing pit. His breath was starting to make thin clouds as the temperature dropped again. Where was she? Where was his sister? His heartbeat pounded in his ears and the world felt like it was spinning--no wait, that was him as he tried to orient himself, as though he would find Sarah by turning in place, like she’d somehow apparated 180 degrees or something. He obviously didn’t find her...but someone did seem to materialize. </p><p>Toby yelled out in alarm and flailed backwards, slipping and falling flat on his butt. He scuttled back on his hands a few sloshes as he looked up at the looming, black-clad figure towering over him. The teenager scrambled to try and get up, struggling to find his footing. </p><p>The man that looked down at him had a mane of feathery blonde hair that would put an eighties rock star to shame. The mismatched eyes--one glaringly blue and the other almost black glared down at him piercingly. His features were sharp and angular, intimidating in the partial shadow as he stood over the teenager. The black cape flared in the wind with an ominous crack and there was still smoke trailing up from one of the black leather gloves. </p><p>“Wh-who are you?” Toby stammered from the ground. It was only then that he realized his teeth were chattering--he was soaked to the bone and freezing. He didn’t know it, but his lips were turning blue. The boy clenched his jaw and his fists, summoning as much courage as he could. He got up with harsh, deliberate movements, only slipping once. “Where’s my sister? What have you done with her?!” he demanded in a stronger voice. </p><p>“What have <em> I </em> done with her?” The man retorted, sounding both angry and amused at the same time. He started to circle Toby and the teenager felt like he was some kind of rodent staring down a big cat. “What I’ve done is save her life. Pity it was needed, wouldn’t you agree?”</p><p>Toby’s mouth went dry. </p><p>“Where is she?” he demanded--or tried to demand. His hoarse whisper sounded reedy even to him. He hated his voice, why did it have to crack at the worst times? He couldn’t show this asshole weakness, he was sure of it. </p><p>“Why, she’s where you wished her to be.”</p><p>“Where I--what?” Toby asked, blinking in confusion. Shit, he was shaking. He wanted to stand up straight and face this guy but his teeth wouldn’t stop chattering and his shoulders didn’t want to un-hunch. The weight of his soaking wet sweater and the chill seeping into his bones felt like it was bending him forward. He jerked his head with a growl of frustration when water and hair dripped into his eyes. He was having to squint at this...whatever he was around the water. The clouds his breath were making were becoming more visible. The rain was turning back into snow. Great. </p><p>“What--what are you talking about?” Toby demanded. The man in the cape stopped and cocked his head to one side, scrutinizing him. </p><p>“I must say, your sister caught on quicker.” </p><p>“<em> Where is Sarah?! </em>” Toby snarled, jerking his fist down by his side in emphasis and swiping his other hand over his face to get the water out of his eyes. Oh. Wait. That was blood. The abrasion over his eyebrow was still bleeding. The man rolled his eyes and heaved a dramatic sigh.  </p><p>“I suppose this <em> is </em>all a bit distracting if we’re going to be sporting about it,” Eighties-Hair muttered theatrically. The gloved--and smoking hand made a dismissive wave. </p><p>Toby jumped when the landscape around him changed abruptly and stumbled back as he took in his new surroundings. </p><p>The slush, mud and construction site were gone. The ground beneath his feet was hard and dry. He flinched and brought up a hand to shield his face from the drastic, almost painful change in light. When his eyes adjusted he blinked several times. He was standing on a hill, the air around him arid and warm with a slight breeze. Something clicked in his mind and he looked down at himself. His clothes were dry. He tapped his fingers to face and winced. His cheek was still tender and a little swollen and the skin above his eyebrow still felt rough, but he was no longer bleeding. </p><p>“Is that better?” </p><p>Toby whipped around at the sound of the wry, vaguely sarcastic voice and saw the man in the cape leaning casually against a tree with his arms tightly crossed. He was difficult to read, but Toby got the sense that he was...annoyed?</p><p>“What? Cat got your tongue?” </p><p>“Where’s--”</p><p>“Sarah,” the man cut him off. He pushed off from the tree he had been leaning on and approached Toby languidly “Is with me. Just as you <em> wished </em>.” </p><p>“As I--” Toby started, cutting himself off. “Wait a minute...you’re...that shit’s <em> real?” </em> </p><p>“And the penny finally drops!” Jareth commended him, his voice thick with sarcasm. Toby paled as the realization hit. </p><p>“Wait--wait no! NO!” He exclaimed, “What the <em> fuck </em>did you do with my sister?!”</p><p>He made to lunge for the--Goblin King? Is that who this guy was?!?--when he found a sceptre of all things in his face. He wasn't sure why that motion made him stop short at the silent warning. On paper it seemed fairly trivial, but in practise the man exuded a presence that was intimidating.</p><p>“Careful, Tobias,” The Goblin King warned him darkly. “I might hold some fondness for you out of nostalgia if nothing else, but there are limits.” </p><p>“Nostalgia?” </p><p>“What? Did Sarah never tell you of her adventures here? When she was about your age and wished you away to me as a babe? Not that you would remember. My goblins still remember you quite fondly. Come now, nothing? Sarah did base a series of books on my Kingdom, I believe.” </p><p>Toby’s jaw dropped. After a moment he closed his mouth with an audible click and swallowed, trying desperately to remember Sarah’s first set of novels...the ones she’d later adapted into a Table Top Adventuring module. Craaaaaaap, crapcrapcrap<em> crap </em> . And that book--the red book that had looked too old to be one of the ones Sarah had written. The one he’d grabbed when his ipad died right before his dad’s last stupid conference thing. Their dad had said it was Sarah’s--or had he meant that it <em> had been </em> Sarah’s when she was younger? That was the one that had had the line about Goblins taking someone away...the line that had inexplicably come to him in the construction site. He racked his brain to remember what was in all that stuff and tried very hard not to think about Sarah’s blood on his shirt or the sound of her scream... </p><p>Toby swallowed, half-stalling for time as he took a step back and asked;</p><p>“How much of it was true? How much did she change? You’re the <em> Goblin </em> King....the story about the teenager who wished away her brother was about fairies or in Medieval Europe or...something. And-and her RPG campaign book was set in the FeyWilds--d<em>efinitely</em> not Goblins!” </p><p>“Yes, yes, she did take artistic license here and there. Just <em> had </em>to put her own spin on things, but the core of the task remains the same. ” </p><p>“So <em> you </em>took her.”</p><p>The Goblin King raised his eyebrows. </p><p>“Like I said. I did as you wished.” the patience in his tone was strained and plainly running out.</p><p>“What--no! That wasn’t my fault! I was--I was scared!I didn’t know what I was saying! What are you going to do with her?” Toby demanded hotly. </p><p>“What concern is it of yours?”</p><p>“She’s my <em> sister </em>!”</p><p>“Indeed she is.” </p><p>“Give her back!”</p><p>“Come <em> come </em>now, Tobias. You wished her away. You read her book and you read mine. You know that I’m not going to do any such thing. Besides, do you really want her back? Truly?” </p><p>“Of course I do! She’s my big sister!” </p><p>“How do you know she’s not better off where she is?” The Goblin King countered.</p><p>“Be--because she has a life! A career, a family, a--!” </p><p>“And you nearly got her killed and then wished her away.” was the snarky retort that cut Toby off mid-sentence. </p><p>“That wasn’t my fault!” </p><p>“Not much is, is it?” The Goblin King remarked as he examined his scepter, looking bored. Toby blanched and bit his tongue before he asked a stupid question. He couldn’t help but wonder if this guy had been spying on him and his family, and if so for how long? </p><p>“Look, I just...I gotta get her back.” Toby said with a gulp. "I--she's--she's got someone who really needs her--"</p><p>“Very well, if you insist,” THe Goblin King grumbled with a roll of his eyes. He strode around Toby and leaned into his space, stretching an arm out over his shoulder. He flicked his black-gloved hand and pointed at the clock he conjured. </p><p>“Thirteen hours to solve the Labyrinth. If you win, Sarah will return with you.”</p><p>“And...if I don’t?” Toby asked, afraid of the answer. The Goblin King gave him a dark grin as he pivoted back in front of the teenager. </p><p>“Then I keep what is rightfully mine.” he said, his voice low and purring.  </p><p>“Like hell you will!” Toby growled with determination. No way he was letting this creep get his claws into Sarah! The Goblin King merely arched one of his eyebrows. </p><p>“Such confidence! Must be a family trait. Well then. You’d better get started. Tick tock, young Master Williams. Tick. Tock.”</p>
<hr/><p>When Sarah finally, properly, awoke it was a gradual process. She was warm and comfortable--a nice change--but still so incredibly <em> tired </em> . She was tempted to let the weight over her pull her back down to the depths of sleep, but she <em> wanted </em> to wake up. Wait, why did she want to do that? Did she have to be somewhere? It wasn;t often she was able to just wake up on her own without an alarm or--</p><p> Her brow creased and she let out a harsh sigh through her nose, a low grunt of discomfort rumbling from the back of her throat. The more she woke, the more she <em> felt </em> and damn did she feel <em> awful </em>. The agony that stabbed through her patchy memory had dulled, but everything ached and her right chest and shoulder still throbbed. She swallowed and shifted, whimpering at how much doing that managed to hurt. She blinked bleary eyes open to a set of deep blues and purples above her. She frowned and sighed out a sharp breath of determination through her nose, as she peered up. Those were drapes. Canopy drapes. </p><p>She couldn’t be absolutely sure, but she was confident that this was a different bed from the one she’d been set in before. The texture of the sheets was different. Sleeker, smoother, eleven softer. It was also larger, she was positive. Much larger. A king sized mattress, at least. The blanket beneath her good hand was also heavier and--once again--much softer. Fluffy, even. And warm, so very warm and comforting…</p><p>Sarah winced and shook her head, pressing the heel of her hand into her forehead and gritting her teeth. She didn’t want to fall asleep again. She shifted slightly and craned her neck to look around as best she could. She was laid out on a--she had to admit--very comfortable bed, propped up by a plush wedge-cushion and thick pillows at an angle that was halfway between sitting and lying down. The room was different than the one she vaguely remembered glimpses of. Her frown deepened with confusion. This room was big and dimly lit, but Sarah could make out tall dressers, at least one door and a...vanity? </p><p>This was a bedroom. A rich one. </p><p>She tucked her chin in to look down at herself with a frown. She was shirtless, but a tight wrapping of bandages preserved her dignity, though she suspected that was a byproduct of dressing the wound where she’d been impaled rather than consideration for modesty. Indeed, while her left shoulder was bare, her right was entirely covered in the coarse, absorbent material and her right arm was bound to her chest tightly so that her right fingertips rested just over her left clavicle. She twitched those fingers and was relieved when they obliged her in moving. </p><p>Now for the rest of her. </p><p>Before she could start trying to pick herself up a flickering light zipped in front of her, hovering inches from her face. Sarah blinked in surprise, but was intrigued. She brought up her left hand and extended her index finger towards it. The Firefly-like creature accepted the offered perch, its tiny legs so inconsequential she could barely feel them as the little light landed. </p><p>“Hello,” Sarah greeted, her voice a faint, gravelly rasp. She was at once aware of her parched throat and cotton mouth. She pressed her tongue into her teeth to try and generate some saliva and swallowed uncomfortably. She wasn't sure there was much to be done about her thirst and tried to focus on something else--fortunately it wasn't hard to find a distraction. She glanced around to see that other such Firefly-esque lights had conjugated around her, each blinking a different, fluorescent colour. Sarah couldn’t help but smile in muted wonder and relaxed her head back against the pillow while she watched them. If she had more energy, she’d try to communicate with them, but for now she was content to enjoy the little show they put on--intentionally or not--as they swirled and swarmed together in front of her. They moved from side to side and she followed their path, though something out of the corner of her eye distracted her. </p><p>There was a small bedside table next to her. A few too many half-wilted wildflowers had been crammed into a slim crystal vase that was too small for the charmingly disorganized bouquet. Sarah frowned and smiled curiously when the Fireflies’ light caught on a long, errant strand caught in the bouquet. She reached over with her good arm and carefully plucked the long red hair--long red <em> fur </em>, she corrected herself--from between the petals. She ‘hmm’ed fondly.</p><p><em> Ludo </em>. </p><p>Her face fell. </p><p>Ludo?</p><p>Her friends knew she was here? She supposed that would make sense if she really <em> had </em> heard Hoggle earlier... </p><p>But where <em> was ‘ </em>here’?  She didn’t recognise her surroundings. The Underground? It had to be. The one thing she could clearly remember was Jareth. Sarah swallowed. If this was an Oubliette she was screwed, but she didn’t think it was...</p><p>No, now it was really time to try and get up. She took several deep breaths in through her nose and steeled herself before gritting her teeth and rolling onto her left elbow. As she had expected, the movement made her growl behind her clenched teeth at the fire that shot through her right side. She clenched her left fist and her green eyes flashed as she hefted herself up to her palm and tucked her legs under her. Successfully shifting her weight onto the opposite hip, she managed to grab the blankets with her good hand and pull them back. It took far too much effort to do that and then swing her legs over the side of this large bed. </p><p>The exertion of such a frighteningly simple task left Sarah feeling dizzy and she hunched over slightly to wait for the room to stop spinning around her, leaning heavily on her good hand. Long strands of dark hair slithered over her shoulders to curtain her face. She took long, deep breaths to center herself and then straightened with a wide grimace as her problem shoulder and back, of course, protested. Why did every movement have to <em> hurt </em>? </p><p>Sarah opened her eyes again to see her legs and feet dangling over the side of the mattress, noticing the silk pajama pants with relief and glad that she hadn’t been completely naked, though the question of who had undressed and subsequently dressed her didn’t escape her either. </p><p>“Okay Williams.<em> Get up </em> .” she murmured to herself as she straightened and then grasped the bedpost nearest her to haul herself up to her feet. It was an effort, she was still light headed and weak, but a doable one now that she was up. She stumbled forwards a half step or two, reaching for the side table to help steady her. She <em> really </em> hoped the floor would stop rocking beneath her soon. </p><p>With a determined set to her mouth again and a few more deep, concentrated breaths Sarah managed to straighten and look around the room from a standing position. She swayed a little before catching herself on the side table again and made her way around to make use of the wall only to find that it was lined with bookshelves. She leaned heavily against it and peered at the spines, blinking several times before some of the titles would settle into focus. She brushed her long, slender fingers over the embossed leather spine of large volume and frowned. With some slight fumbling she managed to extract it. </p><p>It was one of her novels. A copy of one of her novels, at any rate. It was in the design of the newest printing of it but instead of the jacket being printed to look like a leather-bound tome with gold inlaid calligraphy this <em> was </em> a soft, leather-bound tome with gold inlay. Unnerved, she managed to wedge it back in one handed with only a little wiggling and decided to move on; she could feel how limited her reserves were and she needed to get as much figured out as she could. Her gaze travelled around the room. The ceiling was high and on the other side of the bedroom there was at least one window with a long, large, heavy curtain across it. There were two doors on different walls, a fireplace with a hearty fire that provided the dim light in the room as well as heat and a couch in front of said fireplace. The vanity she’d seen before was the closest thing to her and she opted to make her way over to it. She stumbled the distance between her and it and managed to catch herself with her good hand, sending some of the items on it knocking to the floor. </p><p>When something hit the ground with a thunk and a series of familiar clatters Sarah paused in her efforts to re-orient herself and peer down at the small wooden box now lying flat and open on the wooden floor beneath her feet. Were those dice? They looked like D20s...</p><p>She moved to investigate the dropped items further and swayed, a wave of vertigo crashing into her. Her legs buckled and suddenly there was a strong arm catching her and pulling her back flush against a definitively male torso, supporting her weight against him in an embrace. </p><p>“Something tells me you shouldn’t be out of bed yet,” a familiar voice chided her. </p><p>“Jareth?” Sarah asked, turning and angling her head back to look at him. The Goblin King met her questioning, bleary frown with a fond smile. </p><p>“Hello, Sarah-mine,” He greeted her warmly, looking very pleased with himself. Sarah tried to take her own weight again only for her wobbly legs to fail her again and found herself pulled back flush against the Goblin King, feeling the soft material of his shirt against the bare skin of her lower back. He moved to lift her in his arms but paused at the hiss of pain that escaped her when she tried to move away and jarred her bad shoulder. </p><p>“Sarah…” he warned her, a note of concern in his tone.</p><p>“I can walk a few steps,” she hissed stubbornly, flushing with embarrassment at her infirmity. </p><p>“Humour me,” He retorted with an arched eyebrow. She glared at him with those green eyes he loved so much. After a moment he gave her a ‘look’ of his own. He could feel how much of her weight he was supporting and could sense her tension. It took him a moment to recognise the low thrum of fear, the twin to that embarrassment that made it difficult for her to accept his help. His gaze softened when she looked away and shifted uncomfortably, clearly quite <em> keenly </em> aware of just <em> how </em> vulnerable she was. </p><p>“Sarah, let me help you.” he bid her gently. The kindness in his tone brought those bright green eyes back to his briefly. She swallowed and sighed before nodding. Sarah winced slightly when he moved to her left and leaned down to hook an arm behind her knees, effortlessly sweeping her into his arms. He crossed the distance back to the large bed in only a few, smooth strides and set her back onto the mattress, the arm behind her shoulders lingering to ease her back onto her pillows, once again propped up by the cushioned wedge. </p><p>“Where am I?” She asked him as he pulled the blanket back up over her legs and conjured a chair for himself next to her bed.</p><p>“I would have thought that to be obvious,” he said, settling himself in the plushly cushioned seat so that they were facing one another.</p><p>“<em> Where </em> in the Underground?” Sarah pressed wryly, one eyebrow arching. The corner of Jareth’s mouth twitched as he lounged, making himself comfortable with a smug air about him. </p><p>“Where all those who are wished away end up, of course.” </p><p>“The Castle?” </p><p>“Indeed.” </p><p>Sarah frowned, a distant look in her eyes as they darted, trying to piece her fragmented memory of the accident and its aftermath together. </p><p>“So that <em> did </em> happen…” She murmured, more to herself than to him. </p><p>“Your brother’s wish? Indeed it did.” Jareth preened. He made a flourish with his hand and summoned a goblet into it. He held it out to her. “Care for a drink?” </p><p>Sarah snorted and rolled her eyes.</p><p>“I’ll pass.” she said sardonically. </p><p>“Oh come now,” He tutted at her, motioning the cup towards her for emphasis. She narrowed her eyes at him.</p><p>“Hmmmm, accepting food or drink from a Fae King...I’ve made one of those mistakes before. Fool me twice and all that,” </p><p>“You’re not running the Labyrinth. Besides, you didn’t accept that peach from me. It was Higburt that gave it to you.” Jareth pointed out.</p><p>“<em> Hoggle </em>,” she corrected him, her tone tinted with an edge of warning. </p><p>“Regardless, you should have something to drink at the very least.” he told her as he took a theatrical swig from the cup himself in demonstration. “Would that make you feel better?” </p><p>“Hardly. I’ve spent the last fifteen years reading up on Fae folklore,” </p><p>“Among other things,” </p><p>“Among other things,” She agreed.</p><p>“So you believe that little fable about eating Food from the Fae realms.”</p><p>“Hmm, ‘Believe’ is in an interesting word...more accurate to say that I don’t know.’ </p><p>“Well whether it's true or not, we’re well past that.” </p><p>“Maybe. Maybe not.” </p><p>“Oh, there’s no maybe about it,”</p><p>“We’ll see,” </p><p>“Will we?” </p><p>“Jareth,” She said. He heaved a sigh and leaned back further in this chair. </p><p>“I do feel the need to point out that you have already consumed a concoction brewed in the Underground.” he pointed out. She remained unphased.</p><p>“I can’t do anything about that,” she admitted, “<em> But </em>, I didn’t choose to do that.” </p><p>“So now you think that there’s truth to the stories about Fairy Food but also think you can get out of it if it’s fed <em> to </em> you?” </p><p>“I don’t know.” Sarah admitted freely, “I <em>do</em> know something about free will and magic though. Enough that I can wait a little longer before I test anything.” </p><p>“You expect me to believe that you aren’t thirsty?” the skepticism in his tone was thick.</p><p>“Not the point.” </p><p>Those green eyes were shining and Jareth couldn’t help but smile. She was enjoying this. Almost as much as he was. <em> Almost </em>. </p><p>“So what have you been up to the last eight years?” Sarah asked with a sigh, sounding tired but amused. </p><p>“Has it really been eight whole years already?” Jareth asked flippantly, a teasing edge to his tone. </p><p>“To be honest, I half expected to see you last year.” Sarah remarked, “But I guess I still have more to learn about Fae travels between realms.” </p><p>“Were you looking to see me?” Jareth asked, curious. Sarah shrugged her good shoulder but didn’t answer further than that, though she also didn’t look him in the eye. Jareth’s eyes narrowed in curiosity and he tilted his head to the side as studied her. </p><p>“You could have summoned me, you know.” </p><p>“And you would have appreciated that?” Sarah retorted. </p><p>“What makes you think I wouldn’t have?” </p><p>“I never thought a King would appreciate someone calling him on a whim who knew full well what she was doing.” </p><p>“Perhaps a King would appreciate it all the more if someone who knew what they were doing summoned him for once.” he pointed out. </p><p>“Even if someone knows full well how much power the King does and doesn’t have over her?” </p><p>Jareth merely smirked at the jab. </p><p>“I must say, I didn’t expect you to be taking this quite so well.”</p><p>“Why not? We must not have that much time left. Might as well catch up.” </p><p>A sly, cheshire grin spread across Jareth’s mouth as he brought his hands to clasp lazily behind his head.</p><p>“And why would you think there was a ticking clock on our time together?” </p><p>Sarah gave him a ‘look’.</p><p>“Toby wished me away? I know for a fact he didn’t know what he was saying or doing and I’m <em> fairly </em> confident that you <em> have </em> to let him run the Labyrinth, don’t you?” </p><p>“Only if the wisher chooses to do try.” </p><p>“And did Toby choose to try?” Sarah pushed, confident in her challenge. She saw the small flex of tension in his jaw that gave her her answer even before he ground out a reply. </p><p>“He did. Ungrateful brat,” </p><p>“He’s a terrified sixteen year old!” Sarah flared defensively. </p><p>“He nearly killed you.” Jareth stated darkly, all trace of amusement vanished.  </p><p>“It was an <em> accident </em>.” </p><p>“One that he <em> could </em> have avoided. At many different stages that night.”  </p><p>Something about the way that last sentence was phrased tugged at the back of Sarah’s mind, but she filed it away for later. Instead she regarded him with a critical eye. </p><p>“Are you worried, Jareth?” she asked him curiously, aiming to goad. She didn’t want him to see how she was tiring and an argument might help keep her alert. If there was any way for her to help Toby once he reached the castle, she’d need to be awake and alert for it. She still had to think of a way to get them home. </p><p>Her aim to goad seemed to misfire, though. Jareth’s grin returned.</p><p>“Oh no, Precious. I’m not worried in the slightest. I’ve no need to be.” </p><p>“I don’t know, you didn’t do so well underestimating the last Williams’ to run the Labyrinth. And this one was raised on puzzles, myths and problem-solving.”</p><p> “Trust me Sarah-mine, I’ve taken the measure of your baby brother and he has been found wanting.” Jareth told her. </p><p>“We’ll see about that.” Sarah huffed, unconcerned as she sighed and rolled her neck a little with a wince at the soreness there.</p><p>“Oh, we’ve already <em> seen </em>.” </p><p>Sarah’s blood turned to ice and her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. She looked back sharply to the Goblin King and leaned forward to partially sit up.</p><p>“What?” she demanded, her voice sharp and cold with dread. Jareth made a swiping motion with two fingers. Sarah whipped her head over to her right to see the clock he’d conjured. All three branch-like black hands stood erect over the fancy 13 at the top of the clockface. </p><p>“Young Toby’s Thirteen hours have come and gone, <em> Sarah-mine </em>.” he informed her. Sarah simply stared, dumbstruck, unable to pull her gaze from the clock as her mind somehow both raced and froze at once. The clock evaporated like smoke on a breeze and she looked back at Jareth with wide eyes. He was still lounging in his seat, oozing satisfaction and smugness as he plucked up the goblet again. </p><p>“Yes, Toby ran the Labyrinth. And Toby failed. So. Sarah-<em> mine </em>,” he emphasized. The thrill in his intense gaze scared her and she drew back a fraction “There’s no need to concern yourself about whether not stories about Fairy Food have any bearing or not. You aren’t going anywhere.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>What happened during Toby's run? What happened to him? What happened the last time Sarah and Jareth met between her run and the Accident? How long has Sarah been out? Well you'll have to keep reading to find out!<br/>Thank you so much for all your wonderful reviews so far! I won't lie, they really motivate me to write! I hope you enjoyed this chapter ;)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Reeling.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sarah starts to processes her situation.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h1>Chapter 4</h1><p>Sarah felt sick, and it had nothing to do with her injury. </p><p>“No.” she said, the denial sounding stupid to her own ears. “No!”</p><p>“Those are the Rules, Precious.” </p><p>“No…” Sarah repeated in a gasp, eyes still wide. She had turned over and was now propped up on her left elbow. She was trying not to let panic set in too badly. Her success was mixed. The arm holding her up was shaking with both effort and emotion as her breaths deepened.</p><p>“Toby...what happened to Toby?” Sarah demanded. Jareth shrugged.</p><p>“Not relevant.” </p><p>“Not relevant my <em> ass! Where is he?!?”  </em></p><p>Jareth held her gaze for several long, tense moments. By all rights she shouldn’t look so fierce when she was this vulnerable, half-naked but for bandages, long hair sliding over her shoulder and having made her way up to support herself on her good hand, her arm quivering.</p><p>“You should get some rest. And the Royal Healer will have both our hides if you don’t get some fluids in you.” Jareth said, the goblet still held out between them. </p><p>Those eyes flashed murderously and she reared up with a shove of adrenaline to smack the goblet out of his hand with a wordless snarl. Jareth merely raised an eyebrow when the water splashed over the bedside table and polished floor. The cup landed with an echoing clatter and rolled in an ungainly circle a foot or two away. The effort of Sarah's outburst cost her; she only had one hand with which to strike and it was the same one holding her up. When she failed to catch herself again she fell back onto her wedge with a cry of frustration when the muscles in her core failed her completely.</p><p>“Sarah, Sarah, Sarah,” Jareth tut-tutted, sounding amused. </p><p>“This isn’t <em> funny </em> !” Sarah raged, gritting her teeth and growling in pain and determination as she re-started her efforts to get up in spite of her apparently <em> useless </em> body. Jareth’s cheer vanished and his deceptively gentle grip proved powerful when he pushed her good shoulder back down, effectively pinning her in place with only the slightest pressure. </p><p>“No, it isn’t.” he informed her, terse and angry and...worried? His eyes bored into hers “You very nearly died, Precious. Without me and my Healer you <em> would </em> have.”</p><p>“And I’m <em> grateful </em> ,” Sarah ground out through her clenched teeth, not backing down from his stare, “Now <em> where is my brother </em>?!”</p><p>“You’re not going to back down from this, are you?” </p><p>“<em> What do you think </em>?” She snarled. She really could be a hellcat when she was angry. The Goblin King rolled his eyes and let out another theatrical sigh. </p><p>“Very well,” he grumbled, exasperated. “Young Toby is back where he belongs. Above. He failed his Labyrinth run and was returned to the crash site. I believe that ambulance <em> eventually </em> figured out where he was and picked him up.” </p><p>“That’s what happens to those who fail?” Sarah asked, not sure if she was hopeful or not and not entirely convinced that she believed the Goblin King. “They just go home?” </p><p>“It’s what happened to him,” Jareth clarified. Sarah blinked several times, her eyes darting as her mind raced. After pressing her tongue into her teeth again to try and stimulate some saliva to wet her mouth she looked back at him, sharply. </p><p>“And what happens to me up there? Is there a body? Do I still exist? If I had failed fifteen years ago would Toby have just not existed?” </p><p>“So many questions, Precious! You shouldn’t waste your strength, none of that’s relevant to you right now. You won’t be returning. You’ve been wished away to the Goblin Kingdom. You’ll be staying right here.”</p><p>Sarah’s chest heaved. She was trying <em> very </em> hard to resist the urge to hyperventilate. She had to make him understand, she <em> had </em> to. </p><p>“Jareth,” she began, panic sneaking into her gaze and tone “<em> I can’t stay here</em>. This isn’t about you, this isn’t about us. I wasn’t supposed to be gone more than a couple hours up there. It was just an errand to run with Toby--”</p><p>“Even Aboveground we’re well past that. You’ve been in a deep, much needed sleep for some time now.” </p><p>The statement made sense but it still sent the pit in her stomach sinking ever further. </p><p>“Did you charm me or drug me?” she asked with a hint of accusation. She feared the idea of magically induced sleep. For all she knew she could have been unconscious for <em> months </em> if magic was involved...possibly longer, but that was a possibility she <em> couldn’t </em> entertain.</p><p>Jareth sat back and shrugged impassively. </p><p>“A bit of both, to be honest. Come now, it's not that much different from what your Aboveground people would have done in a hospital. I promise you that nothing untoward happened if that’s what you’re worried about. All you did was rest and heal. All that was done to you was change the dressings on your wounds and care for you.”</p><p>“How long?” Sarah demanded harshly, the anxiety seeping into her tone as strength ebbed from her body. “How long have I been out? How long since the accident?” </p><p>“You’ve been here for five days and in these chambers for three.” </p><p>“And Above? How long Aboveground?” she pressed. Jareth’s lips pursed. She was too damn good at this these days. </p><p>“A day or three.” </p><p>“<em> Which is it? </em>” Sarah snapped. </p><p>“Flexible.” </p><p>“Jareth…” She hissed, desperate, her head lolling against the pillows in an adamant shake of denial. It wasn’t as bad as it could have been, but she wasn’t capable of looking on the bright side right then and there. </p><p>Jareth, for his part, simply shrugged. She closed her eyes and took a long breath before speaking again, her tone strained and pleading. “<em> Please </em>, Jareth. I have to go back. I--”</p><p>“You are staying <em> right here </em> ,” Jareth snapped, surging to his feet, while he had expected a reaction like this he was still irritated by her stubbornness and complete lack of care for her own well being. “Quite apart from the fact that your brother <em> lost </em> the Challenge of the Labyrinth, <em> you </em> are in no shape to go anywhere.”</p><p>The green eyes shot open with another spark of fire that comforted him in an odd way.</p><p>“I’ll run the Labyrinth.” she declared, clearly grasping at any straw she could scrounge. </p><p>“Will you now?” his question dripped with sarcasm as he crossed his arms tightly over his chest. </p><p>“Yes!” </p><p>“You couldn’t cross the room by yourself.” he pointed out. </p><p>“I don’t care! <em> I’ll run it again </em>.” she insisted, pulling herself up to a seated position by sheer force of will alone. With a frustrated glower Jareth pressed his fingertips to her sternum and pushed her back into the pillows with a pitiful effort. </p><p>“You won’t get far.” he informed her in a terse drawl.</p><p>“I’ll get further than you think!” she flared, though he noticed she wasn’t trying to sit up again. Was she finally out of steam? Or was she just waiting for him to leave before trying something? He snorted derisively. </p><p>“Not without hurting yourself.” </p><p>“<em> I don’t care </em>! I—“</p><p>“<em> ENOUGH, SARAH! </em>” Jarreth boomed. His voice echoed through the chamber and he towered over her; he only wished she was as affected by it now as she had been in her adolescence. </p><p>“NO!” She yelled back, making him turn away with a scoff, not wanting to admit that he was just a little bit impressed at the way the fire in those green eyes still seared. When he made himself look back at her and past that distraction though, he also saw the way her face was draining of colour again. More than that, there was a small, darkening bud of colour on the white bandages which was slowly blooming outward. Her breathing was becoming harsher and deeper and he watched as she suddenly looked away, trying to hide the scrunching of her face. She clenched her good fist and slammed it into the mattress next to her with a sob.</p><p>“You don’t <em> understand </em> ,” she whispered, biting back tears. Anger had fueled her and, as he had known would happen, that same anger had drained her. For now. That will of hers was still certainly a match for his own, but the demands on her strength that healing required tipped the balance firmly in his favour. He had won and she knew it--And for the time being, she didn’t have much option but to accept it. She knew he was right; if he really did let her run the Labyrinth in this state she’d accomplish nothing more than hurting herself, <em> badly </em>, or worse--and he wasn’t about to allow that. Jareth shook his head and reached down to brush his fingers along her cheek, trying to get her to look at him. She didn’t, but she also didn’t reject his touch entirely. A quiver ran through her. He wasn’t sure if it was shock, fatigue, distress, a mixture of all the above…</p><p>There was a tense silence between them for several moments, punctuated only by her shuddering breaths and the crackling of the fireplace. After a minute or two Jareth sat down so that he was perched on the side of the bed next to her. </p><p>“You really should drink something.” he bid her, his voice gentle. </p><p>“Don’t, Jareth.” she croaked, her face still turned away from him. That crushing vulnerability, along with the fear and shame it inspired, had returned. The prospect of her loss loomed heavily over her. This couldn’t be the end of it, it <em> wouldn’t </em> be the end of it. But right then and there she had nothing left in the tank to fight, nothing left to push back at the despair. </p><p>The Goblin King continued to study her, even with her face turned away. </p><p>“I think you’ll find yourself quite content here if you give the Underground a chance.” </p><p>“I don’t know how many times I have to say it,” she rasped in return “It isn’t about the Underground, or even about you and you <em> fucking </em> know it, don’t you?”</p><p>“Sarah--”</p><p>“<em>Don’t</em> <em>you</em>?” her hand over her abdomen clenched into a white-knuckled fist. “How long have you been watching Toby? Did you ever stop watching me?” </p><p>His silence was her answer. Her rage re-ignited and she whipped her head back over to face him. </p><p>“<em> Goddammit </em> , Jareth! She <em> needs </em> me!” she yelled. </p><p>“The child will be taken care of,” he replied dismissively. </p><p>“SHE’S MY DAUGHTER AND SHE’S <em> FIVE </em>!” Sarah screamed at him, eyes blazing.</p><p>“And if I left you there she would still be an orphan!” Jareth snapped back. “But you would be dead. This is a net gain. I have no doubt the girl will be well seen to, but believe it or not I don’t make the rules. I repeat, Sarah. You were wished away. The Wisher who made that wish ran the Labyrinth. He <em> failed </em> . And if he hadn’t, your precious daughter would still have lost her mother because <em>you would be</em> <em> dead </em> and we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now.”</p><p>As he had expected, she had no reply. She just stared at him, lost for words and losing steam. She closed her mouth and looked away. He reached out to brush away a strand of hair and she practically flinched from his touch, keeping her face firmly turned to face the opposite wall. </p><p>“Don’t.” she hissed, not wanting him to see her tears.</p><p>“Sarah…”</p><p>“<em> Thank you </em> , for my life.” She stated firmly, though she was audibly fading. Her volume seemed to dim with each subsequent word she until her voice was a hoarse whisper. “I <em> am </em> grateful. I am. But please, Jareth. Please just...don’t.”  </p><p>She couldn’t look at him. Couldn’t face showing him any more weakness. Not now. Not with everything. There were so many questions that needed answering, so many puzzles to figure out and so many fights to fight, but right now...right now she could barely move. Jareth was right and she <em> hated </em> it. She felt so pitiful, so weighed down. In every way. Her right fingers dug into the thin flesh over her clavicle and the left remained fisted, white-knuckled in the blanket over her abdomen. She couldn't even stop the tears that were gathered behind her scrunched eyelids. His touch was still warm and gentle as it smoothed over her hair in an increasingly familiar way. </p><p> “You should get some sleep,” he told her softly, his fingers moving to her temples. She stiffened and jerked her head away again.</p><p>“Don’t you <em> dare </em> charm me.” Some venom returned to her tone, glaring at him through reddened eyes.</p><p>“You’d sleep more comfortably--”</p><p>“Don’t. Charm. Me.” </p><p>“Very well. <em> If </em> you rest and drink.” he bargained. The red-tinted eyes flicked over to give him a sidelong glance. </p><p>“Fine.” she rasped, sounding distant and defeated. </p><p>Jareth lingered a moment or two more before waving his hand and dimming the fire in the fireplace. The room remained comfortably warm, but darkened further. Yvaine would not need the illumination to tend to her patient, and he hoped it would help Sarah sleep. Without another word, the Goblin King left the room, though as he opened the door he caught the whimper that slipped from her she started to cry softly. He glanced over to see that her good hand was pressed tightly over her mouth to muffle the sound, but he knew what he’d heard her say. The name had him clenching his teeth as he shut the door. </p><p>She’d forget. Given time, she’d grieve, she’d heal and she’d move on. </p><p>After all, she didn’t have much of a choice. </p><p> </p><p>888888</p><p> </p><p>The persistent blaring of a siren rang in Toby’s ears and he groaned. He opened his eyes to see red and blue lights flashing and hearing someone talking to him. He realized he was on his back on a cushioned but stiff surface. When he realized that there was something strapping him down he jerked awake all at once and struggled. </p><p>“Whoa, whoa there, kid!” A deep, professional, feminine voice said in a calming manner. Toby jerked again when someone patted him on the shoulder and he reared back to see a woman in an EMT uniform patting him soothingly with one hand while steadying the gurney with the other on the uneven terrain.</p><p>“Hey, hey, it's okay, it's okay!” She said. Toby was breathing in harshly through his nose while looking around wildly, his heart pounding in his chest. </p><p>He was back at the construction site. The wreckage of his car was still burning off to one side, the half-rain-half-snow still falling, but now there was an ambulance at the top of the ditch. Uniforms swarmed around the scene, cops, a couple firefighters and a pair of them on either side of him. He looked down at himself; he was strapped down securely to a gurney with an orange blanket buckled around him. It was the only stretcher he could see. </p><p>Toby twisted to get a better look at the ambulance with its back doors open and waiting. He couldn’t see another patient. He couldn’t see any sign of Sarah anywhere. A freezing fist of dread clenched around his gut. </p><p>“Where’s--” he started, still thrashing from side to side even as the same EMT did her best to get his attention. </p><p>“Hey, hey there, son, look at me,” she ordered with calm authority. The teenager whipped his head back to look at her and she grabbed his jaw in a gentle, but firm hold, peeling back the eyelids first of one eye, then the other. She frowned and pulled an uncertain face but gave her partner a sharp nod and signalled him to get started. </p><p>“Do you know your name? Kid? Can you tell me your name?” she asked Toby, her voice retaining its calm, professional tone. </p><p>“T-Toby,” Toby gasped. </p><p>“Hey Toby, my name’s Janice. You’ve been in a car accident. Do you remember making your 9-1-1 call?”</p><p>“Where’s my sister? Where’s Sarah?” he demanded desperately while the gurney started moving. </p><p>“We don’t know, Son,” a male voice replied in a drawling, southern accent. Toby’s gaze snapped back to the car before catching sight of the discarded rebar in the slush, Sarah’s blood glinting on it in the light of the sirens. Memories came flooding back all at once and along with them came fury. </p><p>“That son of a <em> BITCH!” </em>he seethed through clenched teeth, kicking against the gurney and surging forward only to be stopped short by the strap that buckled him in. The two EMT’s jumped into action to force him back down with yelled warnings. He didn’t hear them. </p><p>“Fucking shifty-ass Goblin <em> shit </em> ! I’ll fucking <em> kill </em> him! Get off me! I gotta find her! I gotta help her! It’s not my fault, I gotta find her! Sarah! <em> SARAH </em>!”</p><p>"Look, Toby, you have to calm down!" Janice told him. </p><p>"YOU FUCKING CHEATED, YOU HEAR ME!" Toby yelled into the night air. "YOU GODDAMN ASSHOLE!"</p><p>"Toby, please calm down or we'll have to sedate you--"</p><p>"GIVE HER BACK!"</p><p>"Toby!"</p><p>"<em>SARAH</em>!" </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Bit of a shorter chapter there, but a couple bombshells dropped (which a bunch o you saw coming, well done!) and as you can probably tell, we'll really get into some of the meat of the story next update! </p><p>Thank you so much to everyone for your lovely reviews! I had to hold myself back from answering some of you individually last update because a bunch of you caught on to the breadcrumbs I was leaving and I didn't want to spoil it ;) </p><p>So I actually have a question for you lovely readers. This story, right now, can go one of two ways. The original version I had in mind is a pretty self-contained story, but since I started writing it I've had a few more ideas that lean more towards a larger, more world-building heavy fic. So, my darling readers, my question is this; would you like a self contained story of maybe 10 or so chapters? Or a world-builder that's...longer, lol. Or both, honestly. I could happily re-post the first four chapters in another, alternate version somewhere down the line. </p><p>Let me know :)</p>
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